Compressor or pump



Patented Feb. 15, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 r COMPRESSOR on Pum- Harold M. Gingrich, Oakland, Calif.

Application February 18. 1942. Serial No. 431,347

5 Claims.

- pressors which are not adaptable. to the pumping of liquids, while this invention will pump liqquids as readily as it will pump gas'es.- So far as is known, none of the compressors which are now available can be statically and "dynamically balanced, while this new invention can be both, statically and dynamically balanced. All known compressors discharge by impulse thus inducing a reaction which sets up vibration, while this compressor compresses only against an existent pressure with substantially uniform discharge sothat no vibration is developed.

The objects and advantages of the invention are as follows:

First; to provide a fiuid mover which can be used as a pump or compressor for gases, or a pump for pumping liquids.

Second; to provide a device as outlined which is capable of being dynamically and statically balanced due to the absence of any eccentrically-operated members and therefore being ca pable of vibrationless operation.

Third; to provide a device as outlined in which fluids, contrary to'standard practice for devices of this type, are delivered under substantially uniform flow conditions and thus which is illustrated as being formed integral with the bushing IS.. The rotor has a groove 20 which is formed in one end face concentric to the axis of the shaft I4, the bottom of the groove being indicated at 20'. A pin2l is fixed in the end wall of the housing l0 and extends inwardly to slidably cooperate with 'the bottom 20' of the groove 20 and slidably cooperates with the side walls of the groove. This pin functions as the abutment for the compressor or pump.

Rotatably mounted in the rotor parallel to the axis of the shaft I 4 is av plurality of angularly spaced vanes 22', 23, which are cylindrical in form and have each a slot 25 equal in depth to that of .the groove 20 and of equal width and adapted to slidably pass over the abutment 2|. A gear 26 is formed integral with or mounted on the other end of each vane and these gears mesh with the pinion l9. With large installations the number of vanes could be increased over the two illustrated, and obviously, by changing the gearratio, and providing a plurality of intakes and discharges, the compressor or pump can be made to intake and discharge eliminating vibration, whether the device is used for pumping liquids or for compressing gases.

Fourth; to provide a compressor which is constructed with an absolute minimum of parts and which are simply and economically formed and machined, resulting in a compressor of the lowest possible manufacturing cost.

In describing the invention reference will be made-to the accompanying-drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional elevation through the invention and is taken on a line l- -l of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 diagrammatically illustrates the operation of the invention.

The invention consists of a housing l0 having a cover I I which is suitably secured to the housing as by screws 12. A rotor 13 rotatably fits within the housing [0 and isformed integral with or mounted on a straight cylindrical shaft M which is supported in bearings l5 and I6 respectively in the hub I! which is formed axially on the cover II, and hub l8 which is formed axially on the housing [0. I

Fixedly secured to the cover I] is a pinion I9 fluid at the rate of several cycles per revolution of the rotor.- vanes with one intake and one discharge per revolution of the rotor. With the arrangement illustrated the gear ratio is 1:2 so'that for 180 of movement of the rotor the vanes will rotate through only on their own axes. For two intakes and two discharges with four or more vanes the gear ratio would be 1:1 and an abutment 2| would be provided for each intake and discharge cycle per revolution, r

The operation of the invention is as follows: The abutment 2| blocks the flow of fluid within the groove 20. Rotation of the rotor causes that is, the'gr'oove could be formed in either the housing end wall or in the cover and the vanes would then be mounted in the same element in which the groove was formed, while the abutment would'be mounted in the rotor, thus the abutment would function as the fluid driving member.

Referring to the diagrammatic illustration Fig. 3, vane 22 when in the position 22a has the end As illustrated there are but two to the position 220, vane 23 moves to the posi-' tion 23b forcing the fluid in the groove 20 toward the abutment while the space 21 between these two vanes is filled with fluid. With further movement of the rotor, vane 22 passes the intake 28 and closes the groove as indicated at position 22d while vane 23 moves to the position 230 in which position the groove seal is broken with all of the work of moving the fluid transferred back to vane 22, the fluid being discharged through the outlet 29. Thus each vane in turn moves the fluid from the position 22d to position 230, further discharge being then taken up by the following vane. The exact angular position where this transfer takes place depends-upon the diameter of the vane and the relative width of the groove, but under the most practical conditions is located approximately at the 90 and 270 locations of the vanes measured from the abutment.

Thus it will be noted that no compression or constriction actually takes place within the compressor due to any internal restrictions and that pressure is only built up as the external resistance is increased. Since there is no build-up in pressure within the unit, the device will pump water or other liquids asrea-dily as it will pump or compress air and no fluid-lock can result. It will also be noted that the rotor can be both, statically and dynamically balanced, and due to the constant substantially non-pulsating delivery of fluid, that the device will be substantially free of vibration.

Methods of oiling, of valving the discharged fluid, and other details are well known in the art and are therefore not illustrated or'described.

I claim:

1. .A fluid mover, in combination, two members including a housing and a rotor rotatably fitting within said housing; a shaft axially mounted in said housing and axially secured to said rotor; a groove concentrically formed in one face of one of said members; a plurality of cylindrical vanes rotatablymounted in said rotor and having each a diameter greater than the width of said groove and'axially located'centrally of the width of said groove and having each a slot formed therein equal in width and depth to that of said groove and alignable therewith; an abutment fixed in the other member and extending to the bottom of said groove and slidably fitting in said groove; an intake passage on one side of said abutment and a discharge passage on the other side and communicating with said groove; and means cooperating between said other memher and said vanes for rotating said vanes through 360 degrees on their own axes coincident with rotation of said rotor on its axis.

2. A fluid mover comprising; .a cylindrical housing having an abutment projecting inwardly from one end thereof; a rotor rotatably fitting within said housing and having a concentric groove slidably fitting said abutment; ,a shaft for said rotor; a plurality of cylindrical vanes mounted in said rotor parallel to the axis thereof and having each a groove of the same cross-sectional dimensions as said concentric groove formed in one end and alignable with said concentric groove to pass said abutment and rotatably mounted to block said concentric groove during a portion of one revolution of said rotor and to pass said abutment during another portion of the revolution; meanscooperating between said housing and said vanes for rotating said vanes on their own axes when said rotor is rotated; and an intake passage and a discharge passage communicating with said grooverespectively on opposite sides of said abutment; said means cooperating between said housing and said vanes comprising a pinion fixed to said housing and a gear fixed on the other end of each vane and meshing with said pinion.

3. A fluid mover comprising; a housing having a cylindrical bore; a rotor rotatably fittingwithin said bore; a shaft axially mounted in said drical vanes mounted in said rotor and having their axes parallel to the axis of said rotor and located centrally of the width of said concentric groove and having a diameter greater than the width of said concentric groove and having each a groove formed inwardly from one end with dimensions equal to the cross-sectional dimensions of said concentric groove;.a,gear on the other end of each vane and a pinion axially mounted on the housing and meshing with said gears for rotating said vanes on their own axes when said rotor is rotated.

4. A housing having a cylindrical bore and a cover, and a cylindrical abutment projecting inwardly from one end wall within the bore and parallel to the axis of the bore; a rotor rotatably fitting within said cylindrical bore and having a concentric groove formed in one end thereof slidably fitting said abutment; a shaft integral with said rotor and rotatably mounted axially in said housing; cylindrical vanes rotatably mounted in said rotor parallel to the axis thereof and having each a diameter greater than the width of said concentric groove and with their axes located approximately centrally of said concentric groove and having each a-diametric slot formed inwardly from one end with cross-sectional dimensions equal to that of the said concentric groove and having each a gear mounted on the other end; a pinion axially secured to said cover and meshing with said gears; an intake passage located on one side of said abutment and a dis-.

charge passage located on the other side, and communicating with said groove.

5. A compressor comprising; a housing having a cylindrical bore, a fixed head and a removable head, an axial hub on said fixed head and having an axial bore, and an axial hub on said removable head and having an axial bore, and a cylindrical abutment projecting inwardly from said fixed head; a rotor rotatably fitting in said cylindrical bore and having a shaft rotatably fitting in said bores in said hubs; a groove formed concentric to the axis in one end face of said rotor and slidably fitting said abutment; an intake passage formed in said fixed head on one side of said abutment and communicating with said groove; a discharge passage formed in said fixed head on the other side of said abutment and communicating with said groove; a plurality of equiangularly spaced cylindrical vanes rotatable in bores formed in said rotor and having their axes located centrally of the width of said groove and having each a slot formed in one end alignable with said groove with said slot and said groove having identical cross-sectional dimensions; a gear fixed on the other end of each vane, and a pinion mounted axially on said removable head; whereby, when said rotor is rotated, said vanes are rotated on their own axes to align the slot with said groove when the vane reaches said abutment and move the vanes crosswise of the groove after passing the abutment.

i HAROLD GINGRICH. 

